The Phantom
by MegaFrost4
Summary: Loki vows revenge on Tony, attacking him when he is most vulnerable. As his mind is being manipulated, Tony struggles to hold on long enough for Steve to save him. Based on my YouTube video series The Phantom of the Opera Loki vs Stony.
1. Chapter 1

It was another beautiful July afternoon. The sun blared out over the city, so inviting for people to take advantage of the pools, beaches, just all-around summer fun.

But Tony hated it so much...because _he _was not there with him to enjoy it. _He _just had to leave on a top-secret-only-he-and-Fury-can-know-for-everyone's-safety-mission that made his blood boil. He tried to get JARVIS to find out, but apparently, this was so bad that Captain America, the golden boy of said country, could not even have a highly-undetectable tracker on him so Tony would not have to worry so much.

A lot had gone wrong this summer. Everyone was gone, leaving Tony alone to wallow in his own misery, and so he fixed this by hiding down in his lab, where he could wear himself to the point of passing out, only to wake up crying until he falls asleep again. The bags under his eyes, the jeans barely able to hang around thinning waistline...JARVIS tried everything to take care of him.

He just needed _him _to come back home now because he missed _him_.

Tony did not put much thought into the fact that the lights did not come on as he descended down the stairs to his favorite spot in the Tower. Stats of last time's progress and to-do lists did not show up on the screens like they always did either. Even Dummy did not come to say hello to distract him from the mess the little bugger always managed to make.

He shivered, feeling extremely cold all of a sudden.

"JARVIS?"

Turning slowly around, Tony looked terrified for a second.

* * *

Thor was not entirely surprised, per se, but he was just not expecting this to happen now. He was kind of busy trying to fix the huge mess his brother had caused. Staring him in the face, he saw nothing but calculating determination, which scared Thor because he knew how cunning he could be. And when he set his mind to something, even Thor had a hard time stopping him.

"Loki? What is going on, I-" A piercing pain shot through his nerves, causing him to wince. Thor felt dizzy, and looked to Loki, who was just out of his reach all of a sudden, for support.

"Sorry, _brother_." The God of Mischief spat.

Thor did not recall what happened next, but before he drifted, he prayed for his brother to find his way back to who he used to be.

* * *

Loki entered his sanctuary, his place that not even his own mother knew about. This was where he could truly be with himself, where no one could hurt him. He started making it when he was younger, since he hated always being made fun of by his brother and his friends. And the way Father was always disappointed in him. He needed somewhere to call his own.

But it was lonely.

Loki sighed, remembering how many hours he spent practicing his spells Mother used to teach him. He would not emerge back home until he had mastered it, as he never wanted to disappoint her. It did worry her, though, as mothers do when their children disappear for so long. Try as she might, she was never able to quite pinpoint the location of his "safe space"...which was the whole idea.

The golden architecture detailed certain accomplishments of his life he was proud of, for instance, his first successful hunt, battle, spell cast, etc. Each year, Loki kept adding more intimate details, so he could always reminisce on the days where life was much simpler...before he found out he was a cursed abomination.

His lineage tore him apart. Up until recently, he always just assumed he was an Asgardian, not the magnificent type that deserved all of the glory and praise, since his strength lied within his mind and magic...no, he was _weak_. He was _hideous_. Underneath his mask hid his true face, the face of a monster.

And yet, his family took such pity on him, bringing him up in this lie, and even after continuing to lie that they still loved him.

He laughed.

Loki sat himself down, and tried to relax. He closed his eyes, beginning to meditate, the Mind Stone next to him gleaming with malice. He was shocked no one had figured out yet that the staff that was supposedly confiscated from him in New York was a fake copy. People are just as dumb as he initially believed. Loki thought back to that time in Midgard, and the hate inside him grew even more. His sight zoned in on one person in particular who continued to mock him, and never took him seriously.

Fists clenched, his spine went ram-rod straight.

_Anthony Edward Stark. Why do you mock me? You have no idea what I am capable of._

Loki cleared his mind, concentrating on nothing but this man. This one man. He could feel the fear in this human, and Loki loved it. He pressed his own mind into that of Stark's. Opening his eyes, he walked through the memories of the Iron Man.

"Oh, Anthony...you are a troubled one, aren't you?" Loki watched a bit uneasily as he saw Tony being tortured, being operated upon with no relief, since he was awake for every second, until he passed out from the pain at the very end. Loki's eyes widened as he saw the thing that had stopped him from taking over his mind during their battle.

"What a strange contraption..." Loki wondered if he still had a heart underneath. "My dear...you have been through so much..." Loki's own heart seemed to mourn for the troubles this man had gone through.

The Mind Stone suggested he call out to him.

_Anthony..._

* * *

Tony panicked. His phone was dead, would not charge or anything. He stared at it for a while, swearing he could hear this voice calling to him.

"God, I really need to stop drinking and get some sleep." Tony looked around and saw a dim light.

A miracle.

"Oh, baby..." Tony was so relieved. He stepped into the suit, thankful it was unplugged so it was not affected by the rest of the Tower.

The armor flickered to life, and before it was completely rebooted, Tony took a step forward. Everything quickly went dark, and he face-planted into the ground.

"JARVIS? Where are you, buddy?"

He lay there for a second, then, with all of what was left of his strength, pushed himself over.

"Ugh!" Breathing heavily, he found it easier when there was actual air to use, so he ripped the face mask off, throwing it to the side lazily. The emergency ejection came shortly after, and Tony sat up, relieved to not feel so trapped in the dark, even though he was still seemingly trapped in the Tower...in the dark.

"_Anthony..._"

Chills went down his spine again, as Tony jerked his head around to find Loki in all of his shining glory.

"Reindeer Games?" Tony laughed, but backed away from the god walking towards him. The golden glow around him seemed to be calming in a sense, but Tony was still nervous. He could feel something grabbing hold of him. "What the hell are you doing?"

Loki, back in his sanctuary, concentrated even harder, as he opened his eyes. Darkness began to surround him, transporting him to the Tower in front of the lonely Avenger.

"Just wanted to have a drink..." Loki innocently smiled. The golden figure of himself disappeared.

Tony stared at him. For a moment, he recalled him offering said drink and almost giving it to him after the Hulk slammed him into next season. Maybe that would have been too inappropriate at the time, but now...

"Sure." Tony flicked his hand in a motion to invite Loki forward, but was caught off guard by a bright light that knocked him out cold.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki released all tension from his body, feeling the icy grip take center stage. Opening his blood red eyes, he stared at himself in the mirror with hatred. He fought the urge to destroy that which he had been raised to hate for so long.

_I am the monster that children fear to come at night?!_

He pushed that painful memory away, the day all of his troubles really began. The day he found out about this, this _beast_ he was born to be. Maybe that was why he enjoyed the fights with his brother. Maybe that was why he enjoyed attacking Midgard.

_Maybe I am..._

He hissed at himself, then began to put his mask back on. As pale skin returned, a moan came from the dark corner behind him on the bed. The God of Lies slowly turned around, his red eyes the last to change back to emerald green.

Tony took a moment to make sense of where he was, even though he really had no idea, he still felt a little dizzy. Dark brown eyes saw a flare of red eyes, and it terrified him. He pressed his back against the cold stone wall, wishing he could disappear inside it, away from this nightmarish hell he was thrown into.

"Loki?" His voice was a little sore, dry, cracked lips begging for water.

"Don't." Loki threw up a finger to silence him, which Tony obeyed. He finally made eye contact with the man, happy to see fear tearing down those prideful walls. "You will listen to _me now_..." Loki kept calm, refusing to just blow up in his face, as that was not his plan.

But what was the plan exactly? Why did he bring him here?

To kill him? No...that would not be fun, and he was not that much of a threat, only a nuisance.

Torture? Seemed a bit harsh...but had potential.

After all, Loki knew a thing or two about _that..._

_But his dreams..._

_And?_

_He's already been through so much..._

_Why do you care?_

_..._

"I am _tired _of you mere humans putting me down like I am some kind of animal." He was starting to shake, but smiled at Tony's crashing walls of stubbornness he failed to keep up. "You think you're so special...not like the others, aren't you?" Tony remained silent, so Loki continued to dissect this strange human. His smile dropped, and he jerked his head, wanting a response. "I asked you a question."

Tony opened his mouth to try to speak, but he was not sure whether to be extremely sarcastic, or playfully innocent. He could tell Loki had literally lost his marbles, he could see the turmoil, even some regret in there.

Loki sighed and went to pick up his staff, the Mind Stone begging to come out and play. It was speaking to him in a language he could not articulate to the outside world, and he stubbornly resisted its true desire.

"You know Anthony..." Loki pointed the staff towards him, who flinched in fear and continued to creep along the wall until he found a corner. "You and I are very much alike, in a way. I can see us getting along _splendidly_." At no response, Loki got more irritated. He inched his way closer and closer until he could almost tower over the mortal. He reveled in the terror he caused him, raising the staff to tease the chest again.

Tony shied away, covering his arc reactor protectively. "Please..."

"We've been down this road before..." Loki got curious. "What of your heart? Do you still have one?" He raised his eyebrows as Tony looked off to the side, as if waiting for someone. "Yeeeeesssss...there is some_one_..." A tinge of jealousy grew within his racing heart. But why? He was the enemy.

Using the Mind Stone, he pointed at the man's temple, and saw an image of red, white, and blue.

"_Well, well, well, _who do we have here?"

Tony looked down, his sadness overwhelming him again. _Why am I so weak?_

"Are you _in love, _Anthony? With the soldier?" Loki smiled again, but with a bit of humor in it. "I must say, I am a little surprised. I thought you to be more...into just power..." Tony gasped as Loki tried again with the staff on his heart, but failed again. "Do you like playing the hero? Saving those who cannot be saved? This soldier out of time does not belong here, and yet..." Loki paused to admire the rage growing in the man's eyes. "Oh, getting defensive, are we? I can't help but admire a man who knows what he wants, and protects what he likes, but this? This _must be love..._"

Tony found his courage, and fought back. "Look, I don't know who stepped on your toe or broke your favorite toy, but you better back all the way up away from _him_. This is between you and me, right? That's why you brought me here, in this little, pathetic dungeon you call a room? You think you can just waltz into _my house _and threaten _my boyfriend_ and expect me to just roll over and let that happen? You got another thing coming. You already know what I am capable of..."

Loki was enjoying this, more-so than the quiet, scared victim. Two can play at that game. "I do...and you are impressive for a man such as yourself. However...you have no idea what _I _am capable of..." Loki grabbed Tony by the hair and yanked him forward, searching through his memories, his worst nightmares. He saw a brilliant inventor, a man of science. He saw a determined worker, but he also saw a troubled soul, who hated himself and tended to overcompensate to make up for all of the faults he sees in his reflection. He saw he had a temper, he saw...his guarded heart...killing him? What a strange turn of events that seems to revolve around this thing throughout his life.

Both men stumbled back panting, trying to comprehend what they both saw.

"Stay out of my head, you _freak._" Tony rubbed his fingers through his hair, trying to get that feeling out of his head.

Loki hated that word. It was worse than "monster" because it was filled with so much hatred.

"Mental games aren't your cup of tea anymore? _Done_." Loki was getting to the point of being done, but he suddenly thought of a way he could get every bit of revenge and satisfaction he craved.

_What if I break their hearts once and for all?_


	3. Chapter 3

Loki tried to stop that memory again, when he found out he was different, and prepared himself. It took longer this time, since he was fuming with rage.

Appearing in a not-so-random street of New York, Loki returned to the scene of the crime, and started to cause mayhem. He did not truly enjoy it this time, because this time, he only wanted one...thing...

The adopted Asgardian suddenly remembered why he hated this place as he shot at an oncoming taxi with his staff and kept moving forward. He basked in the screams of shock and terror that was accompanied by the hundreds of people lining the streets. Pushing each other without care, they all frantically tried to get away from the trickster. His stomach flipped with excitement as he glared at them with a devilish smile.

He paused in the middle of the street. "This never gets old..."

* * *

_Anthony..._

Tony woke up with a start, scared to death, wondering where the-_oh right, I've been kidnapped by a crazy god with identity issues._

"Anthony..."

"Stop calling me that." Tony said sternly. "I don't know where you just went, that's why you knocked me out _again_, but you are going to let me go, or all hell is going to break loose."

Loki smiled mischievously. "Is that a threat, or a promise?"

Tony's mind coaxed him to play along. "...Yes..."

Blue lights came from the staff and floated towards the genius, who could not tear his eyes from the beautiful manifestation in front of him.

"What's this?" Tony wanted to back away, but felt stuck.

"You're a man of science...use that beautiful mind of yours..." Loki commanded.

Tony stared fondly at the thing, tentatively reaching out. When he found it did not seem harmful, he cupped it gingerly in his hands. It was so fascinating to play with. He suddenly threw his hands out, and the lights multiplied tenfold. Like a child, he spun around the room, happy as can be to count all of the little globes encircling him. Tony could have sworn he had done something like this before, back when...

_Wait a minute..._

Tony's mind screamed for a second, before he started seeing stars in the sense that he was fighting for consciousness, _no...control._

Loki watched in amazement, then in anger, as he saw this Midgardian just...snap out of his spell! By sheer will power!

"How is this possible?" Loki asked himself and Tony, who looked up at him, calling him out.

"I told you to _stay out of my head_!" Tony crossed his arms over his reactor, trying to make himself look more intimidating at the same time. He went bravely towards his captor...

* * *

Loki's clones laughed as he doubled and tripled in numbers, trying to scare as many people as possible. One more powerful clone kept walking in a straight line towards Avengers Tower. He was on a mission. He had to find _him..._

"_WHERE IS __STEVE ROGERS?"_

No one answered him, just more cries. Eyes kept searching, though, for he knew he was close. Perhaps he was not home yet. A flying ship stopped his thoughts. He recognized it, as was when their first fight together occurred, it was present.

_Finally._

* * *

Loki gaped at Tony for a second, appalled that he was being continually spoken to like a naughty child. How dare he? Does he not realize who Loki is? He will have to try a stronger spell later, but now for the main event.

Tony whined as Loki grabbed him around his throat, his eyes widening in fear.

Loki was done.

"You want to call the shots? You want to see your _precious little soldier again_?" Loki sneered as he threw Tony to the ground, a spell working through his fingertips. "As always, my dear, you are about to get everything you've ever wanted..."


	4. Chapter 4

Tony fought as hard as he could, but he was being pushed back then it all went dark again. A hum that was music to his ears powered up around him.

_JARVIS must have sent a suit!_

"Oh thank-" Tony froze in horror as he saw Loki smiling at him again, which he was starting to sense was not a good thing.

"You're very welcome, Anthony." Loki looked Tony up and down admiringly. "This is the least I can do for you, after all you have done for me..."

Tony went to shoot the unsuspecting god with his gauntlet, but to his horror, he realized...he was not in control. He could see and hear everything around him like normal, but that was it.

He was a prisoner, forced to just observe what was about to happen...

* * *

Steve Rogers knew something was wrong when he landed the Quinjet on the dock of the Tower. For one obvious reason, people were in a frantic mess. Also, the lights were off at the Tower.

"Tony?!" Steve entered uneasily, searching and calling out but found no one. JARVIS did not even answer. "Where are you?"

A strong wind picked up in the living room, and Steve threw his shield up, protecting himself from the flying furniture and decor. A bright light drew his attention, opening up a portal with Loki, who was standing proudly, his staff gleaming.

"Loki?" Steve gritted his teeth. "_Where is he?_" He stepped back, ready to fight.

Loki snapped his fingers. "You mean Anthony?"

Tony appeared before them, his helmet forced off by an invisible power. He stumbled back a couple steps, then regained his balance. The fear in his eyes scared Steve, because Steve could tell that Tony was being held against his will.

"Steve?" Tony begged silently for help, to get him out of here and as far away from Loki as possible. He underestimated him, and he swore if he lived through this, he would never make that mistake again.

"Let him go, Loki." Steve demanded.

Loki lifted both of his hands in mock surrender. "I'm not holding him..." He circled around them both like a vulture, with Steve carefully maneuvering closer to Tony. "I'm teaching him a lesson he'll _never forget-_"

He was quick to take aim and fire at Tony, but Steve was like a lightning bolt, intercepting the shot and blocking it with his shield.

"Are you ok?" Steve whispered, who got a shaky nod as a response. He turned around, standing up with a look that worried Tony. He had never seen the good Captain this angry before.

Loki frowned. "You really don't know when to stop, do you? Constantly butting in where you clearly don't belong. I gave you a chance to say goodbye to my dear Anthony, but you-"

"He is _not. your. property._" Steve threw his shield, but Loki deflected it.

Without a weapon, Loki used his magic to toss Steve aside, crashing into the wall.

"Steve!" Tony kept on fighting to just move, if even an inch...

"And now, _Anthony..._" Tony's stomach lurched in anticipation. "Your heart can finally rest...in peace!"

"NO!" Steve lunged forward, but was too late, as he collapsed onto empty ground, ashes falling to the ground where Tony used to be. He shot up, twisting around. "What did you do to him?!"

Loki smiled. "You really do love each other, do you?" Steve fought with every ounce of strength he had as the God of Lies kept taunting him. "Willing to just throw yourself after him twice just now? It is inspiring, I must say, to think that someone like him could ever admire someone as pathetic as you. You don't even belong here! It must be hard, knowing everyone you once knew is dead. How can you even-"

Steve tried to drown out the words with cries of frustration, but fear kept building up as his anxiety kept wondering...

_Where is Tony?_

A blast knocked him down into the present moment, blood oozing out of the wound already. Slowly, Steve pushed himself up, hand reaching across his abdomen to slow the bleeding. He had to get up. He had to find Tony...

Loki pushed Steve's head back down by the bottom of his staff. The numbing pain made his ears ring, as he tried to concentrate. He could faintly hear Loki telling him nonsense he should never believe. With a growl, Steve hit the staff digging into his head away, and in one fluid motion, jumped into the air, swinging a powerful leg around directly to Loki's jaw. Using the little time it gave him, he reached for his shield and struck Loki again, but across the temple. It only dazed the powerful god, but blow after blow Steve went for it, until finally Loki did not get back up.

Panting, Steve paused to make sure he was truly down for the count, then sprinted outside.

"Tony?!" A crash alerted him a couple blocks away. He watched in horror as a building was literally collapsing with Tony stuck in the middle. _Why is he not flying away?_ Steve forced himself to look away just long enough to hop into the Quinjet and race through the air to get to the quickly disintegrating tower.

Tony was helpless. There was no one to talk to through his screen, the repulsers were shot, and the suit weighed a ton. He could not avoid anything falling around him. It was a feat to lift his hands to try to protect his still-uncovered head.

"STEVE?!" Tony coughed and winced as he could barely register what was going on. He just knew this was about to go downhill really fast. _Bad time for a pun, idiot. _He needed to at least try to get out of the suit, that way he could have more maneuverability. He screamed as the ground under his feet gave out, and he landed roughly on his back. He managed to reach up and find the emergency ejection on his suit, and fought to get out of his prison. Looking around, he knew there was not much time.

"TONY?!" Tony ran towards the voice, but he kept falling through a floor every couple of steps. He was surprised he was not already crushed by a slab of concrete yet. What seemed like hours later, he came up to an opened window, and saw Steve standing on top of the Quinjet, which was on autopilot, hovering in place. "Tony! Look at me!" Steve reached his hand out, "You're going to have to jump!"

Tony shook his head as he looked down to see how high they still were.

"I promise, I _will not _let you fall!" Steve looked more terrified than Tony probably felt. "Trust me!"

Tony fixed his eyes on Steve, then looked away to step back a couple feet to give himself a running start. Steve nodded his encouragement, ready for him. Taking a deep breath, Tony ran as fast as he could, not realizing a huge chunk of debris was falling towards him about to crush him.

The last thing Tony saw was that beautiful shield spiraling towards him just above his head.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve blinked a few times, then frowned, confused as to why his head was hurting so bad. He took it easy to sit up, rubbing his temples to find some relief. Yawning, he noticed he was in a hospital...

_Hospital?_

"Tony?" He flung himself off the bed a little too fast, falling forward onto his hands and knees. He forced his shaky body to cooperate as he pushed the door with his uncontrollable strength, said door falling off its hinges.

"Captain!" Agent Maria Hill called him to attention.

Steve stopped himself, panting. "I-I'm sorry, I just, uh..."

"Tony is _fine_, Steve. He just had a few minor injuries. Now, as for you with your concussion-"

"Concussion?" Steve could not remember the last time he suffered from a head injury.

_Well, there was that one time when Bucky watched in horror as I went up to bat and I-_

"You just need to wait it out, luckily, the serum saved you from what would have given anyone else permanent brain damage..."

Steve's eyes bulged out at that statement, then thanked God for the millionth time he had the serum. Definitely more pros healing than cons of a few broken doors.

"Um...ok, that explains the headache, but..." Steve slowed down. "Can I see him?"

"Sure, Cap." Maria smiled. "But the doctors think it might be another day or two before he wakes up...from shock and all..."

"Another day, but..." Steve's brain tried to recall. "...how long was I out?"

"About 42 hours." Maria sighed. "You had some strange brain activity, we think the Mind Stone had something to do with it."

"I don't remember anything past the fight with Loki..."

"Nobody remembers anything...just ask Agent Barton..."

Steve nodded in understanding. Clint never wanted to talk about that experience. And no one could blame him. Having one's mind warped and bent to a will not of its own is terrifying, especially when there are evil intentions.

"Follow me." Maria motioned. "His vitals are fine, we have round-the-clock staff constantly checking, with armed guards at the doors and around the perimeter. It's not JARVIS, but it's the next best thing."

"Thank-you..." Steve whispered, as he laid eyes on his boyfriend. He could not hold back his shock as he came up to the room.

Tony looked fine, nothing but a few bruises and scrapes, but what broke Steve's heart was how small he was.

"Oh, honey...what have you done to yourself?" Steve got down on his knees, carefully taking a hand, and kissing it. "I'm here, I'm so sorry I had to go. I came back...now it's your turn, ok? I promise, I won't let this happen again."

Steve felt so guilty, seeing how boney the genius' hands were, and how his collar bone poked out of tanned skin. Heavy bags sagged underneath tired eyes, and Steve could tell it was not a peaceful sleep, but one forced by a lot of medical assistance.

"What is going on inside that beautiful mind of yours?" Steve wondered out loud.

* * *

Late that night, Tony woke up in a cold sweat. A gentle but firm hand immediately tried to grab his, but he jerked away, scared of the dark, scared of _him_.

"Steve? Please, he's here, the-"

"Tony, listen to me, you're safe...he cannot hurt you anymore. I'm right here beside you...ok?" Steve flicked the lights on, and kept a safe distance to not overwhelm Tony anymore.

It took him a minute, but Tony nodded in affirmation, although not quite believing it fully.

_Anthony..._

Tony's eyes searched for the cause of that voice, that haunting voice inside his head. All he wanted was Steve, and to be free of that voice!

He flinched for second, only to realize it was Steve taking his hand in such a gentle and loving way. Their eyes met, and both started to shed tears. Steve got onto the bed, hugging him protectively.

"You don't ever have to worry about him anymore...forget he ever existed...I just want you to feel safe...that's all I want for you..."

Tony closed his eyes and sunk into Steve's arms, finally feeling again...

* * *

Loki gasped, choking on blood as he coughed up a lung, it felt like. He rolled himself over, wincing from pain all over his body. He was so weak, he could not even stand. He massaged the side of his head weakly, hissing.

The Mind Stone was gone. That little voice in his head was silent. He took a moment to ponder his situation.

He actually felt ok.

Shockingly, yes, he was fine...physically, he would heal, but now, his captor was no more, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

_Damn..._

What horrors await back in Asgard? Thor was probably searching for him right now...

"Just as it always goes..."

Loki figured it would be best to not try to hide from the inevitable, so he found Thor, appearing before the God of Thunder.

"Loki...what have you done?" He did not expect to see sorrow, he thought a good punch would greet him.

Loki hated this reaction, and he hated that he hated it, because it showed that he still cared for his _not brother..._

"...I'm sorry, Brother..." Loki's big eyes told the truth, surprised he blurted out what his heart had been wanting to tell him for years.

Thor searched for a lie, a trick, but finally took it as relief, happy to see his brother slowly coming back home where he could finally find peace.


End file.
